In Animal Crossing: New Horizons, you can visit a series of islands that enrich your gaming experience. One of these islands is inhabited by Harvey, or Harv for short. Harvey is a dog NPC who made his first appearance in Animal Crossing: New Leaf as part of the Welcome amiibo update. He’s got a bit of a hippie vibe about him, and takes everything — including life — slowly and one step at a time.

Heading to Harvey’s Island is easy — simply speak to Orville at the airport and select, “I want to fly!”. When Orville asks where you want to go, select “Visit Harv’s Island”. It’s free to fly there, and you can head back and forth as many times as you’d like.

Harvey’s got a passion for photography, and would love to share that passion with you! You can do this by heading on over to Photopia, located on Harvey’s Island. In Photopia, you can set up photography shoot sets in a building and take pictures with various NPCs and villagers by inviting them over or scanning in their amiibo. You can decorate the inside of these rooms the same way that you would your own home back on your island! Simply press Down on the D-pad or the directional buttons on your left Joy-Con get get going.

Here are some tips for how to navigate Photopia:

• Press Right on the D-pad or the directional buttons on your left Joy-Con to access your inventory. You are not limited by what’s in your storage at home, any item you’ve held in your pockets can be used, in any color you want!
• To customise the color of a furniture item, press the X button to see what colors you can select, then press the + button to confirm.
• You can cycle through different kinds of furniture and items with the L and R buttons.
• Scrolling to the Residents tab on the far right allows you to invite any villager currently living on your island.
• Move furniture and villagers by pressing and holding the A button while hovering over them, and moving them around with the L stick.
• Press A while hovering over an item or character to turn them around.
• Hold R while moving the cursor over furniture to select multiple items.
• Press ZR when hovering over a furniture item to duplicate it.
• You can remove any character or furniture item by hovering over it and pressing Y.
• Press the + button to switch between floor items, wall items, and ceiling items.
• Press Up on the D-pad or the directional buttons on your left Joy-Con to change the lighting.
• Press X when hovering over a character to change their clothing, using any clothing item you’ve held in your pockets before. NPCs’ clothing cannot be changed, but they can wear hats and accessories.
• Press ZR when hovering over a character to change their expression.
• When you’re finished decorating, press B to exit.

You can then open your Nook Phone with ZL and use your camera to take pictures with the sets you’ve created!

Are there special events?

In June, you can participate in a special Wedding event where you can recreate a wedding ceremony and reception scene for Reese and Cyrus. They grant you complete creative license when setting up the scenes, so go wild!

How do I expand the Market Plaza?

One of the biggest announcements from the October 2021 Animal Crossing Direct was the addition of a market plaza to Harvey’s Island. Harvey has a vision for a co-op, harmonious living experience where various vendors and service providers can gather and give back to the community, which he tells you about in a letter addressed to your home.

When you first head to Harvey’s Island after the update, Wilbur will note that Harvey has gone “missing.” He also points out that a new area has opened — this is the new plaza! Head over there to talk to Harvey and his good friend, Harriet the poodle. You’ll be asked to help out with expanding the plaza by giving donations to the various Lloid gyroids.

Each of the seven Lloids asks for 100,000 Bells to unlock a special character that can provide a service or sell their wares. Paying 700,000 Bells may seem like a lot, but don’t worry! There are tons of ways to earn Bells quickly on your island. To donate, simply talk to any Lloid, select the amount you’d like to donate, and that’s it! Lloids will get donations from other sources so don’t worry about paying it all off yourself. You also don’t have to donate the entire amount immediately, so don’t feel bad for taking your time. Only one Lloid can be paid off per day, and if you’ve forgotten your money, simply head to the ABD just outside the plaza.

Here are the special characters you can unlock:

1. Katrina

To unlock her, head to the Lloid who collects donations for a “mysteriously accurate fortune-teller.” Katrina first appeared in Animal Crossing: Population Growing. She can tell you about how lucky you are on that day, or evaluate your friendship level with any villager living on your island.

2. Saharah

To unlock her, head to the Lloid who collects donations for a “merchant offering rugs and mysterious wallpapers.” Saharah will offer a selection of rugs, wallpapers, and flooring that you’ll be able to choose before buying. However, you won’t receive any tickets for purchasing rugs. Saharah won’t appear on Harvey’s Island if she’s visiting your island.

3. Tortimer/Cornimer

To unlock him, head to the Lloid who collects donations for a “an old-timer specializing in storage.” Tortimer used to be the mayor of past Animal Crossing towns. Now he allows you to access your storage, in case you forgot something you wanted to give to Cyrus. During November, he takes on his “Cornimer” personality from Wild World and New Leaf, and offers to give you up to 10 acorns a day.

4. Reese and Cyrus

To unlock them, head to the Lloid who collects donations for a “talented husband-and-wife furniture-refurbishing team.” They can customize furniture items for you, even ones that you’re unable to customize at home, such as items purchased with Nook Miles from the Nook Stop terminal at Resident Services. You won’t need any customization kits, but you will need to pay with Bells.

5. Leif

To unlock him, head to the Lloid who collects donations for a “botany expert with the greenest of thumbs.” Leif sells bushes, flower seeds, and produce seeds for various vegetables. He also offers to buy weeds at twice the price of Nook’s, and can weed your entire town for 100,000 Bells if you’re overwhelmed with them. Don’t worry, you aren’t required to get rid of weeds this way! Leif won’t appear on Harvey’s Island if he’s visiting your island.

6. Redd

To unlock Redd, head to the Lloid who collects donations for a “legitimate art dealer.” He sells up to two pieces of art that can be donated to the musem’s art gallery, but be careful! They can still be fake. Remember to inspect them closely before buying. You can also participate in Redd’s Raffle by interacting with the red raffle box. You can win new items that you can hold in your hand, like a pocketbook or fruit juice. Redd won’t appear on Harvey’s Island if he’s visiting your island.

7. Kicks

To unlock him, head to the Lloid who collects donations for a “dapper dealer of fine shoes and handbags.” He offers a broader selection of shoes, socks, and bags than when he’s on your island, and his selection changes daily. Kicks won’t appear on Harvey’s Island if he’s visiting your island.

8. Harriet

Harriet doesn’t require a donation to unlock, but ever so often she stands next to a salon stool in the middle of the plaza. If you talk with her, she offers to cut your hair in a new hairstyle for free. Accept, and she’ll give you a brand-new hairstyle that you can’t learn anywhere else. If you tell her you don’t like it, she’ll revert your hair back to it’s original style. Love it or hate it, she’ll teach you the hairstyle so you can always change whenever you use a vanity or mirror on your own island.

The heart of the community

Harvey’s Island provides lots of content for when you need a break from your own island. You can take pictures with villagers in Photopia, or even try out new design options for your own home without all the fuss. With the special characters you can unlock in the plaza, you can visit NPCs whenever you want, in the event that you missed them on your own island. The wide variety of content Animal Crossing: New Horizons has to offer makes it one of the best Nintendo Switch games.